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PSYC 318 W: Research Methods in Psychology
Syllabi: Fall 2013 lecture & laboratory
"It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with the experiment, it's wrong." Richard P. Feynman.
"Argument is conclusive, but it does not remove doubt, so that the mind may rest in the sure knowledge of the truth, unless it finds it by the method of experiment." Roger Bacon
Course Goals: This course is an overview of the principles of psychological research. Reviewing literature, research design, data analysis, and scientific technical writing will be emphasized. Instruction in the American Psychological Association writing format and the "Statistical Package for the Social Sciences" computer application will also be covered. The two primary goals of this course are: 1) to familiarize the students with the important concepts and techniques necessary to understand and perform research in the behavioral sciences and 2) to give students hands on experience with each of the stages of psychological research, from formulating an idea all the way to writing up their results for publication. Back to Top.
PSYCH 403: History of Psychology
Spring 2010, Syllabus
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana
"That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history." Aldous Huxley
Course Goals: This course presents a survey of the historical development of modern psychology. The major systems and their influences on contemporary American psychology are studied. Special focus is given to the development of psychology as a natural and experimental science. The goal of this course is to provide students with a throughout introduction to the philosophical underpinnings and theoretical progression of the study of the mind and behavior. Understanding of psychological theories, knowledge of important individuals and events, and critical thinking will be emphasized. Back to Top.
PSYC 727/824/827: Analysis of Variance & Experimental Design
Fall 2013, Syllabus
"In scientific subjects, the natural remedy for dogmatism has been found in research" Sir Ronald Fisher
"The theory of probabilities is at bottom nothing but common sense reduced to calculus." Pierre-Simon, Marquis de Laplace.
Course Goals: This course will provide students with a review of basic statistical concepts as well as in-depth coverage of experimental design and data analysis techniques.Students will have the opportunity to gain both a theoretical understanding of the logic of null hypothesis significance testing and practical experience with the analysis of experimental data using SPSS software. Expertise in design and analysis comes with practice and experience. The goalin this courseis to begin to gain experience with the logic of experimental design and the techniques for analyzing data from these designs. Success in this course will give you the understanding you need to begin developing research ideas, work with the type of data common in psychological research, comprehend primary source research articles, and continue to develop your own expertise in this area. This course is designed for training graduate students in the Psychology Department's M.S., Ph.D., and Psy.D. Programs. Back to Top.
PSYC 731/831: Human Cognition
Spring 2013, Syllabus & Reading List
"If the human mind was simple enough to understand, we'd be too simple to understand it." Emerson Pugh
Course Goals: Cognitive Psychology is the scientific study of the mental processes involved in perception, learning, memory, language, comprehension, reasoning, problem solving, judgment formation, and decision making. This course is designed to provide students with an extensive foundation in Cognitive Psychology. Emphasis will be place on aspects important (and perhaps unique) to Human Cognition. Modern information processing theories, computer based modeling approaches, and insights from cognitive neuroscience will guide discussions of topics such as attention, working memory, knowledge representation, mental imagery and language processing. This course is designed for Graduate Students in the Psychology Department's M.S. or Ph.D. Programs or for very advanced and academically exceptional undergraduates who receive the instructor's permission to enroll. Course work will primarly focus on comprehending, integrating, and critiquing psychological theories and research from primary source journal articles. Back to Top.